Hydeaway Bay

Wow! This place is a real throwback to the way things used to be on the QLD coast years ago. It is quiet and unassuming and the van park (yeah – another van park as there are no legal places to just set up camp for a while) is not overly technologically endowed – even our Telstra mobiles don’t work out here – but it is friendly and it is beautiful.

After arriving here, and ”here” is just a few klms north of Airlie Beach, we took a drive down through the township to get a feel for the place. The road through the township continues as a gravel road along the coast and after about 5 of 6 klms we found a couple of resorts right on the water.

These were the Cape Gloucester Eco Resort and Montes and they are both right on the beach with views out across to Gloucester Island and are surrounded by glorious bushland. Yes, we liked them both, and once you take a look at these photos I am sure you will see exactly why.

If anyone is planning a wedding or a honeymoon then either of these places would be a brilliant venue. They would also be good for a weekend getaway. The Whitsunday’s Airport (near Proserpine) is just 30 or 40 klms away so getting here from a major city would be easy.

Don’t spoil the place though!

This is the "Oar Bar" at Cape Gloucester. Reasonably priced everything and friendly staff. There is also a glorious pool off to the side.

 As we neared Montes, walking down the beach for half a kilometre, we found where the boaties anchor up.

 

The view from Montes Bar

Montes bar itself.

Walking to Montes - just half a kilometre down the beach.

Loking west along the beach

And back at Cape Gloucester - this is the view from the bar.

Back at the van park we bumped into a couple that we first met at an overnighter in Marlborough (north of Rockhampton) and we joined them and some other people for a beer or two around the campfire. Great fun.

Our next day there was also pretty good. We took a short drive to Dingo Beach where we found more glorious Whitsunday sights.

<sigh>

This is the anti stinger swimming enclosure - basically a safe(ish) pool for the kiddies.

For any non-Aussies out there reading this you might want to read the notice below to get an idea about the stingers.

Oh yeah - the place has a pub overlooking the beach too!

After  enjoying that place I decided to get a little fishing in – the tide had turned and was making fast so we drove past the Eco Resort to a quiet little bay where I chucked out a bait and also tried my hand at squid jigging off the beach and lure fishing.

Not a single bite never mind a fish. Karen had more luck recording six or seven bites, but as these were all sand flies biting her ankles as she sat reading in the shade of a tree they don’t really count.

Back to the van park then for lamb chops coked over a wood fire and a few beers with the others there to pass the evening.